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Butterfly metamorphosis is still a bit of a mystery. What happens inside a chrysalis to turn a caterpillar into a beautifully painted butterfly? In this episode, host Joe Hanson interviews Dr. Arnaud Martin, who uses the CRISPR genetic modification technology to learn about how genes build butterfly wings. Part of the "It's Okay to Be Smart" series.
(Source: DCMP)
From fossil evidence, it appears that life may have existed on Earth as early as 3.5 billion years ago. This suggests that life must have evolved sometime during Earth's tumultuous first billion years. How did life evolve? What did early forms of life look like? Topics covered include protocells, endosymbiosis, prokaryotes, eukaryotes, evolution, heredity, variation, natural selection, genetic drift, and gene flow. Part of the "Biology" series.
Less familiar to residents of the US and Canada are several junco groups that inhabit the highlands of Mexico and Central America. In this segment, researchers from around the world travel to remote high elevation habitats to study unique junco groups. They explore the concepts of endemism, geographic isolation, and the role of genetic data in classifying species. Part of Ordinary Extraordinary Junco (Chapter 4).
Enzymes are proteins which are manufactured by the human body during the process of protein synthesis. They are catalysts that drive every chemical reaction taking place in the human body, and they enable the human body to be built from proteins, carbohydrates, and fats. Enzymes are highly specific in their activity and form an enzyme-substrate complex speeding up processes as they lower the activation energy during a given reaction period. Through genetic engineering and by isolating specific enzymes, it has become possible to harness the power of enzymes.
Paleo-anthropologists believe Homo sapiens evolved in Africa 100-200 thousand years ago, and eventually moved out of Africa to populate the globe. But, how can researchers trace the specifics of that human migration? With support from the National Science Foundation, Florida Museum of Natural History Mammologist David Reed has undertaken a novel approach. He studies the genetic diversity and evolution of the human parasite that hitched a ride the whole way: lice.
Genetic and neurological research has led to increasingly sophisticated medical capabilities, resulting in a growing number of moral and ethical quandaries. Surveys recent milestones in biology, many of which have produced as much controversy as insight. Reporting on the newly identified anti-aging gene SIR2 and the cross-species implantation of stem cells, it also inquires into artificial limb technology, the dynamics of the teenage brain, and the storage of environmental toxins in the human body. A visit to the American Bible Belt, including Kentucky's Creationist Museum, highlights the ongoing debate over human origins.
Michael Goodisman is digging up the dirt on yellow jackets' peculiar lives by studying their nests, behavior, and genetic make-up. With support from the National Science Foundation, he is getting a better understanding of what drives their complex family relationships. Yellow jackets, like honey bees and fire ants, exist in a sophisticated social hierarchy. Unlike other animals that travel in packs or swim together, these social insects will literally sacrifice their own survival in support of their hives, nests, and colonies.
Recapping themes from the prior modules and previewing the junco research of the future, this closing segment reinforces the broad range of important scientific findings involving the Junco. Featuring sound bites from more than a dozen diverse scientists who study juncos, this segment emphasizes the importance of emerging genetic and genomic research tools to complement research in the field. Viewers are reminded to consider all that can be learned from a little backyard bird. Part of Ordinary Extraordinary Junco (Outro).
In some parts of the world, there is an intimate connection between the infectious parasitic disease "malaria" and the genetic disease "sickle-cell anemia." A keenly observant young man named Tony Allison, working in East Africa in the 1950s, first noticed the connection and assembled the pieces of the puzzle. His story stands as the first and one of the best understood examples of natural selection, where the selective agent, adaptive mutation, and molecule involved are known-and this is in humans to boot. The protection against malaria by the sickle-cell mutation shows how evolution does not necessarily result in the best solution imaginable but proceeds by whatever means are available.
In some parts of the world, there is an intimate connection between the infectious parasitic disease "malaria" and the genetic disease "sickle-cell anemia." A keenly observant young man named Tony Allison, working in East Africa in the 1950s, first noticed the connection and assembled the pieces of the puzzle. His story stands as the first and one of the best understood examples of natural selection, where the selective agent, adaptive mutation, and molecule involved are known--and this is in humans to boot. The protection against malaria by the sickle-cell mutation shows how evolution does not necessarily result in the best solution imaginable but proceeds by whatever means are available.
David Ray never turns his back on his research, and with good reason. Ray and his team study alligators, crocodiles, and bats. With support from the National Science Foundation, this multidisciplinary team from several universities is mapping crocodile and alligator genomes. Reptiles resembling these have existed for around 80 million years and they are among the first reptiles to have their DNA sequenced. The research will expand knowledge beyond crocodilians to other reptiles, birds, and even dinosaurs.
The tragic 2013-2015 Ebola outbreak in West Africa shocked the world. Computational geneticist Pardis Sabeti and disease ecologist Lina Moses explain the science behind how this event became the largest Ebola outbreak in history. Part of the “Think Like a Scientist” series.
After the end of the last ice age 10,000 years ago, populations of marine stickleback fish became stranded in freshwater lakes dotted throughout the Northern Hemisphere in places of natural beauty like Alaska and British Columbia. These little fish have adapted and thrive, living permanently in a freshwater environment drastically different than the ocean. Stickleback bodies have undergone a dramatic transformation, some populations completely losing long projecting body spines that defend them from large predators. Various scientists, including David Kingsley and Michael Bell, have studied living populations of threespine sticklebacks, identified key genes and genetic switches in the evolution of body transformation, and even documented the evolutionary change over thousands of years by studying a remarkable fossil record from the site of an ancient lake ten million years ago.
Nourish is an educational initiative designed to open a meaningful conversation about food and sustainability, particularly in schools and communities. In this clip, author Michael Pollan defines genetically engineered foods. Part of the Nourish Short Films Series.
In a response to the overfishing of Blue Fin Tuna, Japan began captive fish breeding programs. The University of Tokyo is trying to take these programs a step further. They have started a program to genetically alter mackerel to give birth to blue fin tuna.
By 1883 all the buffalo were gone from the American prairie, but conservationists saved a few hundred in captivity. Today the World Wildlife Fund and the American Prairie Reserve are trying to reintroduce a genetically pure herd back to the wild. Segment of video from Wild Chronicles Series.
Are humans the accidental products of an uncaring universe? Or are they the beneficiaries of a cosmic order that was planned beforehand to help them flourish? This documentary explores growing evidence from physics, chemistry, biology, and related fields that our universe was designed for large multi-cellular beings like ourselves. Geneticist and author Michael Denton investigates the special properties of carbon, water, and oxygen that make human life and the life of other organisms possible.
Dr. Randall Hughes is examining diversity within the marsh. She discusses the diversity of the foundation species of a marsh: smooth cordgrass (Spartina alterniflora). Does having a greater diversity of genetically distinct plants make for a healthier marsh? Part of the series "In The Grass, On The Reef."
The evolution of the uses of corn coincides with some significant historical events. Throughout history, it has been a staple in the human diet, but in the 1950’s, it became the main ingredient in the meat industry. Farmers used corn to shrink the growth periods of cattle to meet the demand of the consumer. Corn syrup was born from the Cuban Embargo. Today, genetically engineered corn is seen in nonfood products.
Showing collections 1 to 2 of 2
Biology related concepts
A collection containing 59 resources, curated by Benetech
Resources to teach younger students about animals
A collection containing 58 resources, curated by DIAGRAM Center
